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Somali military court executes Al-Shabaab fighter

Xinhua, May 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Somali military court on Tuesday executed a suspected member of the militant group Al- Shabaab for attacking senior Somali politicians in the southern Somali town of Baidoa.

The court said Siraji Abdullahi was among a group of especially trained Al-Shabaab commandos who attacked Somalia's presidential palace in southwest administration in Baidoa in March, which killed at least eight people, including three Somali military officers.

Military court Chairman Liban Ali Yarow, who announced the sentence, said the execution of Abdullahi was a big relief since he killed three comrades within the army.

"This execution today is an act of justice as the criminal has in the past killed three of our comrades," Yarow said.

Somali military court has often carried out executions against alleged Al-Shabaab fighters who frequently target politicians and as well Somali government officials.

Despite their tactical withdrawal from Mogadishu in 2011, the group still controls swath of rural areas in the south and central Somalia as they become even more dangerous, expanding their activities inside and outside of Somalia. Endi